by Park Saenal
“I’m glad to hear it, but why are you suddenly talking about mines? It’s just mines. You can take care of it with Lauel. Right now, I need enhancement stones. How did the conversation switch to this?”
‘Indeed… There is this type of response when hearing about the possibility of mines.’
Rabbit realized it clearly. Grid was different from a common lord. He had little interest in his role as a lord.
‘He only devoted himself to working in the smithy for the past four months.’ Some people might blame Grid for being irresponsible. But Rabbit thought about it positively. ‘The duke is right. He might be the best blacksmith and warrior, but he is lacking in knowledge. It’s better for him to stay away from the administration side.’
Despite their lack of political power, there were lords who forcefully tried to control their politics. On the other hand, Grid chose to rely on competent subordinates because he recognized his own deficiencies. He was the ideal lord who knew the limits of what he could do.
‘He is truly wise and wonderful.’
Grid was different from the stupid leader of the Mero Company that Rabbit served in the past.
Rabbit continued the explanation. “The Overgeared members have explored the southern basin to see if there really are mines. But there was a strong boss monster, so the Overgeared members abandoned the exploration and classified it as a danger zone.”
“Which of the Overgeared members went?”
“All of them.”
“What?”
The Overgeared Guild was strong. They were all rankers in the top 40. But despite them acting together, there was a boss monster powerful enough to make them retreat?
‘Is it at the level of the complete Hell Gao?’ Even Grid wasn’t an opponent for the complete version of Hell Gao. He barely managed to defeat Hell Gao after weakening him by taking two fire stones. ‘The current Overgeared members are much stronger…’
Regas was the first member of the Overgeared Guild to obtain his third advancement class. He chose the Asura class. It was a fighting demon that suited his personality. Then Regas went straight to Grid and asked for a duel. It was revenge for losing in the finals of the PvP match. As a result, Grid won.
‘I almost had to use my invincible passive.’
It was a shame, because the duel was after his training period with Piaro. After reaching the third advancement class, Regas was much stronger than before. It was the same for the other Overgeared members. But there was a boss monster in the west that they couldn’t defeat?
‘It is a terrible place.’
Grid clicked his tongue and prompted.
“So? What does that have to do with the enhancement stones?”
“Did you hear the explanation about why I invested more than half of the guild funds into the alchemy institutes?”
“I heard from Lauel. Isn’t the effect of alchemy amazing? It can make various buff potions, as well as assign special options to items.”
“There are many other things that alchemy can do. But most cities avoid investing in alchemy. It is to the point that even the richest cities that represent a kingdom are reluctant concerning alchemy.”
“Why?”
“Because it isn’t certain.”
The effects of items made with alchemy weren’t constant, but often random. Furthermore, the success rate of alchemy itself was extremely low. For example, even if the alchemy institute had the highest level, the probability of producing buff potions is less than 70%, and the probability of successfully giving an option to an item was less than 30%.
In addition, the prices of the materials needed for alchemy were too high. In conclusion, alchemy was a bad investment.
Grid frowned at the explanation. “What is this? Isn’t it complete rubbish?”
2,937,000 gold out of the five million guild funds had been invested in alchemy. Grid felt like he had been hit in the back of his head.
‘This man is determined to destroy me!’
Rabbit saw Grid’s expression and explained. “I plan to develop Reidan into the second Talima.”
“Talima? The dwarf city?”
“That’s correct.”
The dwarf city Talima was called the city of heaven. Regardless of the rating, it was said that battle gear with a special performance were widely distributed. Even a small store would have a solid piece of equipment comparable to a unique-rated item, so many people wanted to go there to purchase battle gear. But it was impossible. Talima was located within the territory of the dragon Trauka, and was a city that humans couldn’t enter.
“What if Reidan has items like Talima?”
Certainly, the city would be able to show off a unique presence. People would come from all over the continent to Reidan. Rabbit hoped that day would come, so he encouraged the training of blacksmiths and invested in alchemy.
“Alchemy is a way to make the items produced by you and your blacksmiths shine. I am convinced that the only city on the continent worthy of investing in alchemy is Reidan.”
“Hrmm…”
If it developed the way Rabbit wished, a huge economic effect would be created. Grid hoped for that day as well. But.
“Isn’t the success rate of alchemy the worst? Can we afford it? What if we have bad luck and become bankrupt instead of becoming the second Talima?”
“Do you remember Administrator Arik?”
“Arik? Ahh, the lord of this place until I was appointed?” Arik was a funny person. The episode related to him was a sight to behold. “Isn’t he locked up in prison? What about him?”
“The reason Lauel didn’t kill him was to retrieve information about the west from him. I was also able to gain valuable information from him.”
“What information?”
“Somewhere in the west, there is a mine for yellow mithril.”
“Yellow mithril?”
It was Rabbit’s decisive reason for investing in alchemy.
“Yellow mithril is the material for fairy dust. And fairy dust is a raw material that dramatically increases the chances of alchemy succeeding. I am guessing that there is a yellow mithril mine in the southern basin of the Hebend River.”
“Oh…”
It was a mineral that made it possible to overcome the low success rate of alchemy. Grid was thrilled. The radiant future of Reidan was drawn in his mind and he became excited.
“…By the way, what about the enhancement stones?”
He was still curious about the topic of conversation. Grid finally reached the limits of his patience so Rabbit cut to the chase.
“Enhancement stones can be made with alchemy.”
“…!”
Grid’s eyes widened. He thought enhancement stones only dropped from boss monsters, so he couldn’t help feeling surprised.
“Generally, it is wiser to avoid making enhancement stones because the probability of success is extremely low. But that story will change if we get our hands on fairy dust.”
It was the moment when the reason for Rabbit’s lengthy explanation was revealed.
“So the conclusion is, please go and secure the mine.”
“Okay.”
Grid instantly replied. There was no reason to refuse. The boss monster might be hard for the Overgeared members to raid, but the story would be different if Grid and Noe’s powers were added.
“Then I’ll go immediately.”
Grid was unstoppable once he made a decision. He immediately convened the Overgeared members. The Overgeared members were excited to be raiding with Grid after a long time.
“It’s the first time since the golem invasion.”
“We’ll be able to knock down that monster if we have Grid.”
Grid looked at the Overgeared members and asked them, “What type of monster is it? A demonkin?”
“No, it is a doppelganger.”
“Doppelganger?”
A doppelganger was a monster that copied the form and abilities of the target. They were obviou
sly hard to deal with but…
“Even if he turns into one of us, we have the advantage in numbers. Can’t you easily defeat it?”
Pon explained, “As you said, the doppelganger is easy to deal with if it turns into one of us. But it’s transforming into someone else who is much stronger than us.”
Vantner continued. “It was really incredibly strong. The body is slim and the face is handsome, and he moves quickly while using a sword as big as Dainsleif.”
Regas also spoke. “The way he moves the greatsword reminds me of you, Grid.”
Faker added. “The basic moves are similar to Grid, but the sword techniques are several times better than Grid.”
“Hrmm…”
The opponent was that great? Grid was very curious about the power of the doppelganger that the strongest people in the Overgeared Guild were praising.
‘I will soon see.’
The Overgeared members finished their preparations. Grid commanded, “Depart. Jude, you will protect Reidan along with the soldiers.”
“Yes…”
Jude was disappointed that he couldn’t go with them and stepped back.
“I will accompany you.”
The continent’s strongest swordsman. It was Piaro. However, he was different from before. He was neatly shaved and wearing clean clothes. It was hard to imagine that he was a beggar a few months ago, as he was now giving off a strong impression.
“Please add your strength.”
Grid gladly welcomed Piaro, while the Overgeared members were confused.
‘Why is he taking a farmer along?’
A farmer was useless in a raid. What role did a farmer have in a raid? Farmers were meant to be in the fields. Lauel was about to say something, but stopped.
‘That reminds me, isn’t Piaro an expert in feng shui?’
Was Grid planning to use Piaro’s power to secure useful lands?
‘It is surprising. He’s so clever…’
Lauel embraced the thought that Grid was growing. Grid seemed to be a completely different person than before.
Chapter 229
Chapter 229
In the National Competition and golem invasion event, Grid proved to be the strongest. But now two months of real time had passed after the golem invasion, so was he still the strongest?
『 I don’t think so. 』
『 What’s the basis for your claim? 』
『 The performance of a third advancement class is far superior to the second advancement class. It’s on a completely different dimension. Most of the top 50 rankers have reached their third advancement class, so Duke Grid, who is immature in control, is no longer unique. 』
『 I agree. Duke Grid overpowered the rankers in the National Competition with his items and class, but now he’s lost the advantage of his class. 』
『 What if Grid overcomes his insufficient control skills? 』
『 Haha! The possibility doesn’t exist. Looking at it from a professional point of view, Duke Grid has no talent for control. The only advantage he has is his items. 』
『 The advantage will be offset by the fantastic control of the other ranked players. 』
As the information of the third advancement classes started to be revealed one by one, the experts started to criticize Grid. In the first place, Pagma’s Descendant wasn’t a class specialized in combat. The experts were convinced that the third advancement rankers would be able to show skills well beyond Grid.
At the Second National Competition in Paris nine months later, Grid wouldn’t be able to win.
『 Ah, fans of Duke Grid, please don’t misunderstand. I’m not disrespecting Grid himself. He is a good leader who has absorbed the Tzedakah Guild, and also have talented people like Huroi, Lauel, Euphemina and Ruby. 』
『 I also know that Duke Grid’s blacksmith skills are great. However, we are currently analyzing Duke Grid’s combat ability, so we have to criticize it. 』
In fact, Satisfy experts had a grudge against Grid. It was because their analysis of Grid during the National Competition was wrong and they were embarrassed in front of the public.
‘It would be nice if Grid’s era ends quickly.’
‘I don’t want to discuss Grid anymore. It’s embarrassing every time my analysis is wrong.’
Would these wishes come true?
***
“Sura Charge!”
Pepepepeong!
After converting to an Asura, Regas’ combat power was twice as high as a martial artist. The enemy was confused by the punching and kicking changing trajectories, then he would dominate the battlefield by linking lightning and dark skills. The sight of him facing four giant worms simultaneously was excellent.
‘He’s stronger than when I won the duel. Has he completely adapted to his new class?’
“Nobody can call Regas a Taekwon Master now. Sooner or later, he will be called a war god.”
“Yes.”
As Grid and Lauel admired him, the spear knight aboard a camel started moving.
Puk! Puk puk!
Rumble!
Kiyack!
A spear knight’s attack power increased when riding on a ‘mount’ such as a horse or pet, so it was a spectacular sight. Even the monsters in the west were unable to cope with his blows. But it was impossible to kill the western monsters in one blow unless they were Grid.
Pon soon faced five giant worms. Was this a crisis? No.
“Gatling Spear.”
Pepeng! Pepepepeng!
The sonic spear moved several times in a fan-like range. Then the five giant worms became rags and transformed into light.
‘Great.’
Gatling Spear exerted a power comparable to Pagma’s Swordsmanship, Kill. Unlike the single-target Kill, it was a wide range attack. Grid was filled with admiration.
‘I have higher stats than Pon and the performance of Failure is much better than Pon’s weapon…’
Nevertheless, the difference in passive skills was too great. Combat classes all had the passive skill of Weapons Mastery, which had the effect of adding attack power. Meanwhile, Grid had a clear limit since he relied exclusively on Pagma’s Swordsmanship.
[Pagma’s Swordsmanship Lv. 2 (89.9%)]
-When the skill is deactivated-
You can become one with the sword at any time. Increases physical attack by 30%, critical hit rate by 20% and critical damage by 10%.
* This effect is only applied when a sword type weapon is equipped.
* The skill consumes no mana.
-When the skill is activated-
Become one with the sword. Wave, Restraint, Link, Kill, Transcend, Transcended Link and Linked Kill You can unleash a total of seven sword techniques.
* The effect of the deactivated skill will be lost.
* 20 mana is required to activate the skill.
* Once deactivated, it will take 10 seconds until the skill can be activated again. Nothing will be consumed when deactivated.
Pagma’s Swordsmanship had a fatal weakness. The effect of the passive skill disappeared when he used an active skill. The effect of a 30% increase in attack power, 20% increase in critical hit rate and 10% increase in critical damage wouldn’t be applied to skills like Kill and Link.
‘The passive skill only applied to the base damage… This is the limit of the class called Pagma’s Descendant.’
But Grid wasn’t worried. Rather, he was overflowing with confidence.
‘Right now, Regas and Pon’s strength might seem comparable to me, but that’s only for the moment. That gap will increase again the moment I reach level 300.’
There was an old saying in games that ‘levels were bullies.’ That saying was also established in Satisfy.
10 stat points were gained every time the level increased, and users would become stronger as their stats increased. It wasn’t just because of simple reasons like wearing better items or getting stronger skills, but also due to the unique function of stats.
&nbs
p; For example, the strength stat. A level 200 user’s strength stat had 0.3 attack power, 7 health points and a weight limit increase of 40 with every point. A level 300 user’s strength stat had 0.4 attack power, 9 health points and a weight limit increased of 50 with every point.
In this way, the effect of the stats increased every 100 levels. This was called the stats awakening. The sum of the level 275 Grid’s stats were currently higher than the stats of the level 300 Overgeared members. Looking at the total number of stats, Grid’s level was nearly 380.
He went through a process called minus level, obtained special titles, and produced countless items. What if Grid reached level 300 and received the third stats awakening?
‘The difference between our passive skills only applies for now.’
The source of Grid’s power was his overwhelming stats. Grid was more familiar with this than anyone else, so he didn’t have to be nervous about the growth of others.
‘If I complete the Grid set then…’
He was the strongest.
“Huhuhu…”
‘Why all of a sudden?’
Grid smiled and Lauel felt a shiver. It was like encountering a monster on the level of a demonkin. Then Huroi shouted.
“My Lord! Seven basilisks are present 800 meters to the south!”
The Overgeared members were nervous.
“Seven basilisks?”
“We should bypass them.”
The respawn rate of the western monsters was unusually fast. If a battle lasted for an extended period of time in one place, they would end up surrounded by monsters. The basilisk was one of the strongest monsters in the west, so it was obvious they would face a crisis if they had to fight seven of them.
“There is a small mountain to the west. It might delay our journey, but we can bypass the monsters.”
“I don’t want to.” Grid ignored Lauel’s advice and grabbed Failure. “I haven’t hunted in 131 days. I will use this opportunity to increase my experience.”
The desert was a harsh terrain. Every time they moved, their feet sank into the sand, severely limiting their movements. The Overgeared members were experts in combat and already adapted to the desert terrain, but what about Grid?
The Overgeared members were worried. Grid’s dull movements and lack of combat sense meant it was impossible for him to exert his full power in the desert. So they were going to move first to clear any monsters they encountered on the journey to their destination.
